Merry Christmas, basketball fans! It's the best day of the regular season, at least if you are in the business of quality instead of quantity. There are 5 games on Sunday's NBA schedule, and all 5 are being televised nationally on ESPN. The embarrassment of riches begins at 12:00 pm ET with the New York Knicks hosting the Philadelphia 76ers.
Below is my SGP for Sunday's showdown inside Madison Square Garden, and also be sure to check out all of our NBA picks.'
Part of the value in same game parlays, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as De’Anthony Melton making a few 3-pointers would obviously go well with a Philadelphia win and cover. At the same time, plays that aren't correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing RJ Barrett to score at least 25 points for the Knicks, but even if he does there is no reason why the 76ers can't take care of business.'
76ers -2.5 (-106)
The Knicks won the first meeting between these 2 teams 106-104 last month and that was in Philadelphia. However, Joel Embiid was sidelined for that contest so this is a completely different matchup. But Tyrese Maxey is now out, you say? Well, it's clear that the 76ers have learned how to win without him. They are on a 7-game winning streak heading into Sunday's affair, with 5 of those victories coming by double-digits. Joel Embiid and company are completely dominating opponents for the most part, and speaking of Embiid he is averaging 33.0 ppg for the season and 36.0 ppg in the month of December. The Knicks had been on an 8-game surge of their own but have since lost 2 in a row. Give me the Sixers against a modest spread.'